Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-09-29

down in front of Dutch Dawes saloon,
and 81 Hawkins called the meeting to
order
Boys, he said, in a husky voice,
we've got our first chance to start a
graveyard, and no town never had
better Them boys thar and he
jerked his thumb over his shoulder,
would do any graveyard proud. and
we ought to start 'em off in style. It's
rotten shame if we don't give 'em
the best send off the markets got, and
curse the expense
"We cheered this sentiment in spite
OF the occasion, and he continued:
What we want to do is to send for cof-
inns. Any man that's in favor of the
sentiment can just walk up here and
plank down his dust.
No one could refuse this appeal,
and the needed sum was soon raised.
An order was written to the Sampson
vile undertaken and given to the
driver of the down stage, with the
verbal message:
If thOy amt here by to-morrer
night committee of ther boys'll be
down thar ter find out why, an they'll
need their collins ter hum
About sunset next evening a
wagon turned off the main road and
came into camp. 1t brought the cof-
fins They were unloaded, one after
the other, and shone with all the
splendor that fresh varnish could give
them.
"'Thar's style for ye.' said Haw-
kins, with pardonable pride. How
the boys would enjoy 'em if they were
here. BY the Lord Harryr he shout
ed, suddenly, there's six here! Who
ordered Skip
"Jim Davis was the man that
wrote the letter. He turned deathly
pale, and said: BY George, there S
bad luck coming. There's a sixth
man in this crowd. / ordered five
collins, an that extra one hasn't come
for nothing
"There was sudden silence, and
most of the crowd turned as pale rs
Jim. 1t did look mighty plausible
that that there coffin was looking for
some one, and each man felt an un-
comfortable suspicion that he was the
one. The only one that was bold
enough to resent the idea was Five
fingered Jack, who had been born
with five fingers on his left hand, and
had evened matters up by shooting of
his thumb.
You're good one, Jim,' he says,
you're the scholar of the crowd, but
you can't write straight yet
See here, said Jim, getting riled,
4 amt no scholard, but / DOM
knuckle down to no man when il
comes to orderin' cofiins. l KEEP 8
copy of the letter, so't the undertaken
don't cut any shines with u.s. He
pulled out the letter, and he had writ
ten five as plain as life.
"'That coffin has come for one O.
us, he continued, AN it means bust
ness. 1t stands to reason that when a
coffin travels twenty-five miles it,
goin' to get its man.
"We gathered round, looking abou
as solemn as we felt, and some of tn,
boys kept looking over their snoul
ders suspicious-like to the cabin where
the dead men lay as though they wect
afraid the night might encourage EN-
to come out an pick their company
for the next days journey.
Isl Hawkins tried to pump the fel
low that drove the team up to tn,
camp, but he didn't know any thins
about it. The collins had been loaded
in by the undertaken, and he brough
them up as they were given to him
So Hawkins told us to come into Dutci
Dawes, and the boys began to gel
their courage out of bottle, in thu
natural way. As they got livened VI
they began to joke about their fears
and recommend candidates for the va
cant honor.
.Meb be it's after the feller wha
stole Simpsons horse, said Five
gered Jack, in sort of banterin,
tone. EFF he's ketched he'll need i
mighty bad
"The crowd laughed-all but Jim
He took it seriously and tried to argu
the matter. He won't get no coffin,
he said. He'll be lucky to git burie,
at all. Ye can laugh all We want tel
but there's goin' ter be six funerals to
morrow instid of five.
"'Thcre's dead coyote little way
up the gulch. Meb be ye'd like te
plant him along with the boys con
tinued Jack, mocking him.
"Jim began to get his back W
Thar Hear that, ne said. 1t wa
only the hoot of the mountain owl, bu
it's enough to give a dead man tn
cold shivers if he's feeling little o.
color. Hear thatr Eff that doesn'
mean bad luck, I'm a Dutchman.'
"Some of the boys began to loo
nervous again.
"'Shet up, can't yep said Jack, col
temptuously. 'Ye're wuss ner hoo
owl yourself. A scared fool like yo
is a regular Jonah in camp. Ye'
break it up in week eff ye had ye
way
"'Who's scared foolr says jim
firing up like fighting cock.
's'You air. says Jack.
, "Yer a liar, says Jim.
"The boys began to climb benin
boxes and any where else they coul
get out of the way. There had bee
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